The present invention relates to conveyors with belt containment devices, and more particularly to a conveyor having a belt containment device that is releasably attached for quick removal without the use of separate fasteners and that is well suited for environments and industries requiring cleanliness and sterility.
Belt conveyors with containment side members are often used to convey food. The containment side members hold food items on the belt, but are made removable for cleaning and sterilization purposes. Sometimes, the containment side members are also used to prevent a conveyor belt from lifting off an underlying belt support, such as when the belt is tensioned across a concave transition zone leading from a horizontal lower section of a conveyor to an inclined elevating section of the conveyor. However, known removable containment side members use separate fasteners for attachment to the conveyor, such as threaded bolts and nuts. These can cause quality and warranty problems, and can lead to food contamination, because threaded fasteners include crevices and difficult-to-clean areas which greatly reduce the ability to easily clean and sterilize the conveyor. Further, fasteners require time to remove and, once removed, can get lost. Still further, fasteners require reinstallation time and, if not properly installed, can fall out. This is particularly problematic if the fasteners fall onto the belt since they can contaminate the food. An improvement is desired for attachment of containment side members that is simple, does not include separate fasteners nor threaded fasteners, is easily cleaned and sterilized, and is less manually intensive to remove and reattach.